10 Shillings - British Armed Forces 1st series

British Armed Forces Special Vouchers — universally called BAFSVs — were introduced after the Second World War specifically to prevent black market currency drain. Troops stationed overseas were paid in these vouchers rather than sterling, making conversion difficult and limiting the damage that large numbers of servicemen could otherwise inflict on fragile local economies still recovering from occupation. The 1st series was issued from 1946 and remained current through the early 1950s.

De La Rue's involvement guaranteed tight security printing, but the vouchers were never intended for long circulation lives — series were periodically demonetized and replaced precisely to defeat hoarding and forgery. Surviving 1st series examples in any condition above heavily circulated are genuinely uncommon.